Oh So Crazy

Product Reviews, Giveaways, and Personal Anecdotes

You are here: Home / Home / Cleaning / ‘Falling’ back into a laundry routine with ARM & HAMMER

‘Falling’ back into a laundry routine with ARM & HAMMER

by

ARM & HAMMER

I’m a member of the ARM & HAMMER Influencer Network and received complimentary product samples to facilitate my review, as well as compensation for my time, but all opinions are my own, as I’ve been a loyal ARM & HAMMER user for years.

It’s finally starting to feel like fall, and I’m LOVING it! The leaves are changing colors, the air is cool and crisp, something delicious is baking in the oven, pumpkins are being carved, and the seeds roasted. It’s my favorite time of the year!

But because we’re dressing in layers due to the cooler weather, I feel like I’m doing more and MORE laundry. At least one load every day, if not 2. It never ends! Sigh… 

During the summer, the girls practically lived in sundresses or swimsuits, but now it’s leggings and sweaters and socks and everything else that comes with colder weather. My husband is a contractor and often works outside, so he usually changes clothes twice in one day, too. I just can’t keep up! How do large families do it?

I’m no laundry expert, but here are some tips I try to follow…

    • Find a place to put dirty laundry, and use it. The girls have two hampers outside their bedrooms – one for colors and the other for whites – and my husband and I share one. The hampers are always open so dirty clothes can just be tossed in. In the laundry room, I have a 3-compartment rolling rack and every morning I’ll take a mesh basket down filled with the previous days’ laundry, sorting it appropriately. Once one compartment is full, I roll it over and load the washer.
    • Treat stains right away. I’ve been called the “laundry queen” by my daughter’s cafeteria monitor, as she’s known to be a really messy eater, but somehow I can get the stain out every time. Chocolate pudding, ketchup, marinara sauce – you name it, it gets on her clothes. The key is to make her take her dirty clothes off the minute she walks in the door, and treat it immediately. Clothing is expensive! I’m not going to let it get ruined. Instead of buying a separate cleaning product, I like to pour detergent, like ARM & HAMMER™ Liquid Detergent, directly onto the stains, rubbing it in, and I’ll let it sit for a while before washing.
    • Some things can be used more than once. This is a lesson I’m working on teaching the kids (and the husband). Jeans, sweaters, towels – are all multi-use.
    • Always have all the supplies you need on hand and organized. Like toilet paper, I make sure to have enough detergent, and tend to stock up when I find a good coupon or sale. Plenty of mesh baskets to carry the laundry to and fro, and good washer and dryer don’t hurt, either! Keeping everything organized in pretty jars is nice. Here I have three: one with clothespins to hang clothes to dry, another to gather loose change from my husband’s pants (I’m gonna be rich one day!), and a third with the girls’ little lost socks.

#ARMandHAMMER

  • Do something fun while you’re folding. I watch TV, listen to a podcast, or call my mom. It makes the time fly by!
  • Involve your family. My kids sort socks while watching TV. My husband does the same. I make my oldest put away her own clothes and my youngest stocks our bathroom closet with towels, which she folded herself.
  • Come to terms with the fact that there will ALWAYS be dirty laundry. The hamper may be empty for a while, but not very long, and that’s okay. Be grateful that your family has all those clothes, because a lot of people aren’t so lucky!

Simplify and Save with ARM & HAMMER

As I mentioned above, I use ARM & HAMMER laundry detergent to not only wash our clothes, but to stain treat it as well. The new ARM & HAMMER Ultra Power 4X Liquid Laundry Detergent is ultra-concentrated and packed with two scoops of baking soda, giving you ultimate cleaning strength in a smaller size. It may be a little bottle, but it offers loads of power at a great price! I love that – because it’s concentrated – I’m using less, and the bottle takes up less space in my already cramped laundry room!

#ARMandHAMMER

I also have ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda in my laundry room in that handy dispenser above. It works great as a laundry detergent booster. Just sprinkle a 1/2 cup of baking soda to your wash with the usual amount of liquid detergent. It’ll help maintain the optimal pH balance necessary for detergents to work well.

#ARMandHAMMER

If you happen to leave towels in the washer too long and they develop that yucky musty smell, add a 1/2 cup of ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda to the rinse cycle to neutralize the odors, leaving your laundry smelling fresh and clean, as is illustrated in this video: 

Another clever tip my mama taught me: sprinkle a little baking soda into the hamper to keep it smelling fresh in between loads! Woo!

As you can see, ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda is a natural, safe, effective, and affordable product that can be used in hundreds of ways in and around the home. Countless uses for just pennies a day! 

BUY IT!
Visit ARM & HAMMER’s website to learn more about ARM & HAMMER products, including where to buy them. Be sure to sign up for the ARM & HAMMER Savings Center to get coupons and connect on Facebook at facebook.com/armandhammer.

YOUR TURN: When it comes to your laundry routine, how do you simplify and save?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. I make my own laundry detergent using Arm & Hammer Baking Soda as a main ingredient. Baking soda in your rinse water is also a great fabric softener.

  6. We don’t allow laundry to pile up. We do, on average 2 load every day, sometimes 3. By doing them I mean we wash, dry, fold, and put away. Doing so prevents a laundry build-up and the need to rewash clothes that where previously washed but never put away and left laying in a basket to wrinkle or catch other dirty laundry on top of them. I am a stickler for all laundry being folded and put in it’s proper place … and never left laying around.

  8. I haven’t used this brand of detergent before, but I’d like to try it! I wash loads about every 3 days, or when a clothing item has a really bad stain.

  9. I love the tip about the wet towels – I do that from time to time! I simplify by doing a couple smaller loads in the week. It helps cut down on weekend laundry!

  16. I use baking soda for everything, even laundry but I have not tried the actual laundry detergent yet… need to pick some up .
    Danielle @ We Have It All´s last blog post ..Destination Discount

  24. i hang dry clothes, i have a rack for that. I definitely watch tv or listen to music while folding. oh how i hate to fold.

  25. I hang my clothes, they last longer this way. I do wish I would treat a stain right away; I tend to wait.

  26. I’m not sure if I ever used this before, but it sounds like an awesome laundry detergent! I would love to check it out!!

  31. We do laundry everyday, never seem to be caught up, Arm & Hammer products makes it so easy, love them 🙂

  33. thank you for the tips. autumn is my favorite time of the year as well, so to cut down on the amount of laundry to be done we do, as you said, wear jeans and sweaters more than once before washing. i am glad to learn more tips!

  34. Thanks for the great tips! I start doing more laundry this time of year too. Sweatshirts and other heavier clothing.

  35. This is a great list. I too watch tv while I am folding laundry. I blog and do computer work when I throw it in the wash/dryer, but when it’s folding time, I sit and just relax while folding!
    Allyson Bossie´s last blog post ..Coffee Bean Direct Giveaway 11/24!

  36. Great post! I agree. Fall is awesome! I really like the tips here, especially treat right away! It’s so true. If you leave it set in , you will never get the stain out.

  38. We use Arm & Hammer laundry detergent for sensitive skin. It’s always on sale 2-for-1 at the grocery store. Haven’t even considered other brands.

  39. I think baking soda is a wonder product, so versatile and so safe. I wish I was as organized with the laundry as you are. I like your suggestions and think I’ll try to follow them until they become a habit.

  40. I’ve been using A&H laundry detergent off and on over the years, depending on what’s on sale at the time 🙂 But I do love it!

  41. I’ve been doing laundry on my own since I was a kid of 10. That’s 43 years.
    I have used many different products over the years and I keep coming back to Arm and Hammer. It is a great product at a great price.

    I do not let the hubby do laundry. He does not sort. He dumps and stuffs. Urg!

    Ladyblueeyez1960 (at)(aol)(dot)(com)

  42. I like your jars! An organized laundry area really does make a difference–when I know I have everything I need right there, rather than having to hunt around for the stain remover, check and see if there’s enough fabric softener, etc. I don’t get as overwhelmed.

  43. All good information. Some of it was new,some I knew…but was a great reminder. Maybe it should be required reading every three months 😉
    Wendy T´s last blog post ..My Story

  44. I love using Arm and Hammer baking soda to clean grease in the kitchen! I will have to try the detergent for the laundry sounds like it works great! I will use it for my pet beds to get the odors out!

  45. The best thing I ever did laundry-wise was to buy one of those heavy duty laundry sorters. It is so easy to throw in a load of laundry these days, it’s just a part of my morning routine.

  46. Unlike most women doing laundry is one of my favorite household chores. I learned to use Arm & Hammer in the laundry not only the refrigerator from you.

  47. I love A&H laundry detergent and have known for years that A&H Baking Soda was great–for many uses!

  48. Thanks for the tip about adding baking soda to your towels if they are left in the washer. I have been known to let that happen.

  50. great tip about putting baking soda in the hamper! I am trying this now! Also I love listening to music while folding laundry~ makes the time go by faster 🙂

  51. So smart! I will be trying these ideas out this weekend as I attempt to catch up on the laundry mountain that is overtaking our laundry room!

  53. My family puts away their own laundry which helps. There are some items they use again that saves me from having to wash it every time they use them like towels, washclothes jeans and their sleepwear.

  55. I have also found that baking soda works great for deodorizing my HE washer.
    I just run 1/3 of a cup through a hot wash cycle and it takes away that yucky smell.

    jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com

  56. I’ve never thought of using Baking Soda in the wash. Great idea, going to give it a try!

  57. That is so funny I also have my kids sort the socks while I fold the laundry and then when I am done folding they put them away. I have five kids so it would take forever if I did it on my own. I also have left my towels in the wash too long,I just rewashed never thought of using arm & hammer baking soda instead, it would be a lot cheaper so thanks for the tips.

  58. I definitely need to start treating stains right away. I have a habit of changing my son and then throwing his clothes in the hamper without treating the stains first. Then, I get upset when the stains don’t come out !!!

    shebebes@yahoo.com

  60. These are useful tips! Thanks for sharing! It’s always great to get to advice from others that have had success in handling stains on clothes!

  62. Treating stains quickly is a big key to making sure they are eliminated. I am pretty good with saving clothing…I haven’t really had too many disaster situations.

  63. Wow, you’re incredibly organized!!! We really love Arm and Hammer detergent; especially to get out dirt.

  64. My grandmother always used Arm & Hammer detergent in her clothes, and this is one of my favorite memories of her.

  67. Once a month I run the washer’s “cleaning” cycle. Instead of detergent I use white vinegar and I put a 1/2 cup of baking soda right in the drum. It comes out smelling very fresh and clean! I have never had a mildew smell to deal with since I do this!

  69. That is awesome that it gets the stains out as well as it does! I have tried a lot of products for my babies’ clothing and it will not come out!

  73. I like the idea of using baking soda in the washer and dryer. Thanks for the suggestions.

  74. I’ve never tried Arm and Hammer detergent, but we love the baking soda for cleaning. I’ll have to try the detergent! We use the baking soda for cleaning in the kitchen and bathrooms… helps remove spots like sport drinks and kool aid stains from the countertops. I even had success cleaning permanent marker from the side of the fridge with it!
    Have you ever tried adding vinegar to the wash to help rid strong odors? I’ll have to try the baking soda and see which I prefer. Hadn’t thought of throwing it in with the detergent.
    Thanks for a great post!
    Wendy Lindsey´s last blog post ..Surviving Holidays Decorations When You Suffer From Allergies

  76. Oh I love the tip about adding a 1/2 cup of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda to towels left in the washer. No matter how hard I try it seems like there is always a load that gets forgotten in the washer. Thanks for all the great tips!

  77. Thanks for your tips! I find that laundry is less daunting if I don’t let it build up too much. There are only two of us so it doesn’t pile up very quickly, but I try to keep a regular rotation anyway (reds, darks, regular colors, whites). I like to run full loads to save money, too.

  78. Oh I love to have Carter help me match all the socks! When doing everyones laundry…all socks go into 1 laundry basket. We bring the sock bucket to the living room and spread them out all over the floor and play the matching game with the socks! Carter loves it!

  80. I have used this product for as long as its been availanle and love it. It eliminates smells really well. My husband is a carpenter and also a shade tree mechanic and the grease smells always come out!

  82. nice post. i had to learn the “deal with stains right way” the hard way. i would always just toss them in the laundry basket and wait till it was time to clean them. always had the hardest time getting the stains out at that point.

  84. yes you have to treat stains right away! especially spaghetti! reminds me that i have to go get a stain out right now! lol